Saturday, July 26, 2008

The Saskatchewan Party government is denying access to records for Advanced Education, Employment and Labour Minister Rob Norris, Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer and their respective deputy minister’s Wynne Young and Doug Matthies.

An access to information request was submitted to the Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour on Mar. 14, 2008 for copies of “the daily appointment schedule, daily meeting schedule and telephone log book for Minister Rob Norris and Deputy Minister Wynne Young for the time period of December 1, 2007 to March 14, 2008, inclusive.”

The ministry received the request on Mar. 18, 2008.

In a letter dated Apr. 14, 2008 Deputy Minister Wynne Young advised that the 30 day response period was being extended an additional 30 days, pursuant to sections 12(1)(a)(ii), 12(1)(b), and 12(1)(c) of The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act as “consultations that are necessary to comply with the application cannot reasonably be completed within the original period.”

Less than a month later, in a letter dated May 22, 2008, Young said the records requested for Norris and herself were being “denied pursuant to section 21 and subsection 29(1) of The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The disclosure of the contents of these records could threaten the safety of the individuals referred to in the records, as mentioned in section 21. As well, the contents of the records are the personal information of the individuals referred to in the records, as defined in section 24, and are therefore subject to subsection 29(1).”

On May 1, 2008 a similar request was made to the Ministry of Finance for the daily calendar for Minister Rod Gantefoer and Deputy Minister Doug Matthies for the time period of December 1, 2007 to April 30, 2008.

Access to these records was denied in a letter from the ministry that was dated May 28, 2008:

“Access to the daily calendar for Minister Rod Gantefoer is denied since the records are not held by the Ministry of Finance, and are kept exclusively in the Minister’s Office. Under section 2(2) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, ministers’ records held in this office do not fall under the definition of a “government institution,” and as such, are not subject to the Act.

“Access to the records you have requested described as “daily calendar” for Deputy Minister Doug Matthies is denied pursuant to section 21 and subsection 29(1) of The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The disclosure of the contents of these records could threaten the safety of the individuals referred to in the records, as mentioned in section 21. As well, the contents of the records are the personal information of the individuals referred to in the records, as defined in section 24, and are therefore subject to subsection 29(1).”

Neither ministry bothered to explain how someone’s safety would be threatened if it was revealed that they met with either the Minister and/or Deputy Minister.

An embarrassing twist to all this is that a similar request (dated Mar. 14, 2008) was made to the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation (EI) for access to records regarding Minister Lyle Stewart and deputy minister Dale Botting was granted.

The ministry’s Apr. 15, 2008 letter states:

“For your information, the right to access provided by The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Act) under section 5 applies only to records in the possession or under the control of a government institution. Clause 2(1)(d) sets out the definition of “government institution”; however, subsection 2(2) excludes the “offices of members of the Assembly or members of the Executive Council” from that definition. Therefore, as our Ministry does not have the telephone log for the Honourable Lyle Stewart, that record(s) is not accessible under the Act.

“Our Ministry does, however, have access to Minister Stewart’s daily calendar and it is our intent to grant you copies of it, as well as Dale Botting’s calendar, with exempt information severed pursuant to section 8 of the Act. For your information, the exemptions that have been applied pursuant to the Act are:

“29(1) – personal information

“Some information has also been denied pursuant to subsection 27(1) of The Health Information Protection Act (HIPA) which states:

“A trustee shall not disclose personal health information in the custody or control of the trustee except with the consent of the subject individual or in accordance with this section, section 28 or section 29.

“For clarification and specifically with respect to the information being denied in the attached records, HIPA defines:

– “trustee” under subclause 2(t)(i) as “a government institution”; and

– “personal health information” under subclause 2(m)(ii) as “information with respect to any health service provided to the individual.”

“If you would like to see HIPA in its entirety, it is available on line at Justice’s Queen’s Printer website: www.qp.gov.sk.ca.

“I also wish to advise that the Ministry does not maintain a telephone log book for Dale Botting.”

It remains unclear why some ministries are willing to disclose this type of information while others prefer to keep it secret.

The following entries appear in Minister Lyle Stewart’s daily calendar and include a number of contributors to the Saskatchewan Party.

Dec. 3, 2007

Stuart Pollon – KPMG (10:00 a.m. to 11 a.m.)

[Pollon is a chartered accountant, certified public accountant and senior manager with KPMG in Regina. He has contributed approximately $8,935.87 to the Saskatchewan Party since 1998. He is the husband of Marilyn Braun-Pollon the Canadian Federation of Independent Business vice-president of Saskatchewan and Agri-Business. Leader-Post political columnist Murray Mandryk said in his July 4, 2008, column that Stuart Pollon is part of a group that has had a "profound influence" on Premier Brad Wall. Since 2001 KPMG Chartered Accountants and KPMG Management Services have contributed nearly $77,000 to the Saskatchewan Party.]

[Dearborn was the Saskatchewan Party MLA for Kindersley from 2002-2007. Parsons is a Saskatchewan economist and Saskatchewan Party contributor. Some of his work has been published by the Saskatoon-based right wing think tank Prairie Policy Centre. Gagne is the CEO & President of Checkmate Strategic Planning Inc. which has contributed to the Saskatchewan Party. Gagne is also the vice president of Prairie Policy Centre.]

HTC PurEnergy Reception 10 Research Drive (5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.)

[HTC is a contributor to the Saskatchewan Party. HTC is a clean energy technology company that is commercializing CO2 Capture/Storage Technologies for Enhanced Oil Recovery (“EOR”) and geo-sequestration.]

Dec. 14, 2007

Tentative lunch with Dr. Schramm (12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.)

[Laurier L. Schramm is the president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Research Council.]

[LaBelle is the former president and CEO of Gardiner Dam Agri-Energy Ltd. In January 2007 LaBelle ran for the Saskatchewan Party nomination in the Saskatoon Meewasin constituency. He lost to Roger Parent. On Apr. 24, 2008, LaBelle was named president and CEO of Saskatchewan Trade & Export Partnership (STEP), succeeding Dale Botting who resigned from STEP in December 2007 after being appointed Deputy Minister of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation.]

[Iogen Corporation is a privately held Ottawa-based biotechnology firm. Major investors include the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Petro-Canada and Goldman Sachs.]

Jan. 11, 2008

Speaking at the SCA AGM Supper (7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)

Jan. 14, 2008

Doug Mcnare et al. (10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)

[McNair is president of McNair Business Development Inc. a Regina-based firm involved in developing business concepts and economic development strategies, business and market feasibility studies, business strategies and plans, and business implementation plans.]

Jan. 15, 2008

Ken Zeigler – Robertson Stromberg (2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

[Ziegler is past president of the Prairie Policy Centre and a contributor to the Saskatchewan Party. Ziegler is also past president of the Saskatoon and District Chamber of Commerce. Ziegler is a member of the North Saskatoon Business Association, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority, a representative member of Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership, and a former Director of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.]

[Alliance Pipeline is a wholly owned natural gas transportation system. The Alliance concept is one of ownership of the pipeline system by a group of companies with interests in the energy business. Limited partners currently include affiliates of: Alliance Pipeline Limited Partnership owns the Canadian portion of the Alliance Pipeline system. Sponsors of AllianceCanada are affiliates of: Enbridge Income Fund (50%) and FortChicago Energy Partners L.P. (50%). Alliance Pipeline L.P. owns the U.S. portion of the Alliance Pipeline system. Sponsors of Alliance USA are affiliates of: Enbridge Inc. (50%) and FortChicago Energy Partners L.P. (50%). The corporate offices are located in Calgary, Alberta and Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Area offices in Saskatchewan include Kerrobert and Regina.]

[Hill is the president and CEO of Harvard Developments. The Hill family has contributed significantly to the Saskatchewan Party over the years. In 2007 various Hill companies made the following donations: Harvard Developments $1,509.71, Harvard Broadcasting $693.97, Harvard Property Management $528.26 and Western Surety Company $3,100. Garven is the deputy minister to the premier and cabinet secretary. He was the dean of business at the University of Regina when it was announced at a news conference on Nov. 1, 2007, that the Hill family had donated $10 million to the University of Regina school of business administration, which will be renamed the Paul J. Hill school of business. Hill sits on the boards of the business lobby group Canadian Council of Chief Executives and right wing think tanks C.D. Howe Institute and Fraser Institute. He is a past director of the Conference Board of Canada and the Asia Pacific Foundation.]

[Richardson is the president and CEO of James Richardson & Sons Ltd., the family’s Winnipeg-based holding company. He serves as a director of Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and the Business Council of Manitoba. The Richardson family was listed in the November 30, 2007 issue of Canadian Business magazine as one of the wealthiest in Canada with a net worth of $2 billion. In 2007 the following Richardson companies donated to the Saskatchewan Party: Richardson Financial Group $5,000, James Richardson International (JRI) $10,000, Tundra Oil & Gas Ltd. $8,000 and Tundra Oil & Gas (Sask) Ltd. $2,000.]

[Cameco is one of the energy industry’s biggest contributors to the Saskatchewan Party. From 1999 to 2007 the world’s largest publicly traded uranium company donated approximately $44,467.30 to the party.]

Feb. 21, 2008

BizPal New Conference in North Battleford (10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.)

Minister Ritz (11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)

[Gerry Ritz is the Conservative MP for Battlefords-Lloydminster. He is also the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board. Over the last few years Ritz has donated approximately $1,061.66 to the Saskatchewan Party.]

REDAs (Gold Eagle Lodge) (11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

Town of Battleford (1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.)

Battlefords Tribal Council (3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

Feb. 22, 2008

Gavin Semple (Room 306) (8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.)

[Semple owns the Regina-based Brandt Group of Companies the largest privately held company in Saskatchewan with revenues approaching one billion dollars. According to annual returns filed by the Saskatchewan Party the Semple family and Brandt companies contributed over $205,000 to the party from 1998 to 2007. During the 2007 election donations totaling $3,900 went to the campaigns of Warren Michelson, Don Saelhof, Laura Ross and Christine Tell. On Feb. 29, 2008 the Wall government appointed Semple as the deputy chair and business representative of the new EnterpriseSaskatchewan Board of Directors.]

[TransCanada Energy Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., a leading North American energy company focused on natural gas transmission and power services. TransCanada PipeLines is one of the Saskatchewan Party’s biggest contributors in the energy industry. From 1999 to 2007 the company donated $46,830.31 to the party.]

[The Entrepreneurial Foundation of Saskatchewan Inc. (EFS) is a non-profit organization formed to provide advisory services, training and mentorship to entrepreneurs seeking access to investment capital during the initial commercial start-up and expansion stages of their small businesses. The Board of the Foundation has representation from CIC, SaskCentral, the business community, entrepreneurs, the aboriginal community and academic institutions. The current board chair is Keith Brown, owner, founder and president of Trailtech Inc, which manufactures light commercial and industrial flat deck trailers. Since 2003 Trailtech has contributed $7,239.72 to the Saskatchewan Party.]

[CME is Canada’s largest trade and industry lobby group. Its membership is drawn from all sectors of Canada’s manufacturing and exporting community and from every province across the country. Its mission is “to continuously improve the competitiveness of Canadian industry and to expand export business.”]

Feb. 28, 2008

Swift Current Business Luncheon. speaker (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

Action Southwest (College Boardroom) (1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.)

Mar. 4, 2008

Sk. Dev Fund Brd (Room 318) (11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)

Ron Styles/Janet Wightman/Cliff Baylak (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

[Styles is the president and CEO of Crown Investments Corporation (CIC) of Saskatchewan.

Wightman was appointed president and CEO of Victoria Park Capital (VPC) in November 2006 after serving as president and CEO of Investment Saskatchewan (IS) since May 2004. VPC was created by IS in November 2006 to manage its private equity and venture capital investment portfolio. As the owner of the assets, IS has established the overriding mandate for VPC which serves as guidance for new investments. IS was created from Crown Investments Corp. Industrial Interests Inc. (CIC III) in 2003. According to the article Venture capital firm looks inside and outside province (Leader-Post, Dec. 4, 2006) financial editor Bruce Johnstone said, “The idea behind Investment Saskatchewan was to have an “arm’s length relationship” with government, free from political influence and interference.”

Baylak is the managing director of Investment Saskatchewan.

“We don’t believe in the government making investments,” said Lyle Stewart the minister responsible for Investment Saskatchewan in Gov’t weighing options on provincial investments (Leader-Post, Feb 9, 2008). “It hasn’t been a particularly successful strategy you have to admit over the last 60 years.” Yet he went on to admit that the government’s investing had improved since the creation of Investment Saskatchewan.

In Pondering changes to Crown investing (Leader-Post, Apr. 29, 2008) Stewart said he has asked the Crown corporation’s new board for a thorough examination of Investment Saskatchewan and its contract with investment managers Victoria Park Capital. He said the review would look into Investment Saskatchewan’s mandate as well as the administrative costs and transparency of its contracted-out operations. So much for no political influence and interference.]

Mar. 6, 2008

Jason Deerborn (Hotel Sk.) (8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.)

Mar. 7, 2008

Mosaic – Norm Beug (Room 306) (10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.)

[Beug is the senior vice-president of potash operations for the Mosaic Company. Mosaic is a crop nutrient company involved in the production of potash, phosphates and nitrogen. The company’s primary Saskatchewan business is potash. The Mosaic Company was created in 2004 through a merger between IMC Global Inc. and Cargill Crop Nutrition. Mosaic owns 50 per cent of Saskferco Products Inc. The government, through Investment Saskatchewan has a 49 per cent stake in the company, and Citibank owns one per cent.

On June 20, 2008 Mosaic and Investment Saskatchewan put Saskferco up for sale. The Saskatchewan Party has never been supportive of Investment Saskatchewan, which was created in 2003 by the previous NDP government to put the province’s investment portfolio and its management under an arms-length board. While Investment Saskatchewan remains as the Crown corporation that actually owns the investments, the management of the portfolio was contracted out by the NDP government in 2006 to a private company formed by former Investment Saskatchewan employees, Victoria Park Capital.

The Saskatchewan Party has never seemed supportive of Victoria Park Capital either.

In Province to estimate investment value (Leader-Post, Apr. 24, 2008)Enterprise and Innovation Minister Lyle Stewart confirmed to reporters that an investment bank has been hired by the private company, Victoria Park Capital, that manages the government’s investment in SaskFerco to value the company at Belle Plaine. In Investment Saskatchewan, Mosaic Co. selling Saskferco Products (StarPhoenix, June 20, 2008) Stewart said “there is no longer any reason for the government to retain its minority ownership position.” The article went on the note that “The Saskatchewan Party government has made no secret of wanting to halt investments of public money into private companies.” So from Mar. 4 to Mar. 7 it appears Stewart had met with all the main players. The question is just how much political meddling has there been on this file?]

[JRI is James Richardson International. It is the largest subsidiary of James Richardson & Sons, Limited, a privately owned corporation that has been family controlled for five generations. For nearly 150 years, the Richardson name has been synonymous with the international grain industry. The corporate head office is located in Winnipeg.

Louis Dreyfus Canada Ltd. is headquartered in Calgary, and is part of the worldwide Louis Dreyfus Group, with a 67-year presence in Canada as a major exporter of Canadian grains and oilseeds.

On Sept. 7, 2006 JRI announced plans for a $100-million canola crushing plant in Yorkton. That same day Louis Dreyfus Canada said Yorkton will be home to its $90- million canola crushing facility.]

Mar. 11, 2008

World Heavy Oil, Edmonton. Must be there for this day (8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.)

[Hiles is the president and CEO of Regina Regional Economic Development Authority (RREDA). Prior to this he served as chief financial officer for Doepker Industries Ltd. and was president of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.]

[Braun-Pollon took over as the CFIB’s new director of provincial affairs in July 1997 from Dale Botting, who left the CFIB in late 1996. The Saskatchewan Party and the CFIB are close. In a March 31, 2004 letter to Braun-Pollon shortly after being acclaimed as party leader Brad Wall said “My party has had a very good relationship with your organization through the years and that will absolutely not change under my leadership. The position the CFIB puts forward, for the most, reflect our own.” The appointment of Botting as deputy minister of Enterprise and Innovation appears to have kept that promise.]

[Nicholson is Minister Stewart’s chief of staff. Dearborn was the Saskatchewan Party MLA for Kindersley from 2002-2007. Parsons is a Saskatchewan economist and Saskatchewan Party contributor. Some of his work has been published by the Saskatoon-based right-wing think tank Prairie Policy Centre. Gagne is the president & CEO of Checkmate Strategic Planning Inc., which has contributed to the Saskatchewan Party. Gagne is the vice president of Prairie Policy Centre.

Dearborn and Gagne also work with Arcas Issues Management. Arcas is a strategic, full service consulting and research firm located in Regina. According to its website Dearborn is the Chief Knowledge Officer and Gagne the Chief Strategy Officer. The company appears to be connected with Arcas Group Inc., which has contributed to the Saskatchewan Party.]

[Campbell is the Calgary-based CEO of Prairie-to-Gateway and InlandPort. The “Prairie Gateway” is a virtual combination of services and a cluster of numerous transportation, distribution and assembly players working and investing together. It will be anchored by “connecting” the three major cities of Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Regina.

This is part of a plan called CISCOR, which stands for “Canadian Intelligent Super Corridor”, which is a national east-west transportation corridor from Vancouver and Prince Rupert to Montreal and Halifax. The Saskatchewan-based CISCORSmartInlandPort Network will serve as the central logistics and coordination hub, creating a Canadian east-west land bridge which connects with three major North American north-south corridors; North Americas SuperCorridor (NASCO), CanadaAmericaMexico Corridor (CANAMEX) and River of Trade Corridor Coalition (ROTCC).

A report administered by Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation called Canadian Intelligent Super Corridor - Smart Inland Port Network (Jan. 2007) confirmed the existence of the NAFTA Superhighway mentioning it by name and identifying it as Interstate-35. The report notes that Saskatchewan is “centrally linked to the CANAMEX transportation corridor and NAFTA Superhighway connecting Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. These highways essentially provide for the inter-regional, inter-provincial and international movement of goods and people.”

This stuff is connected to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) that is being pushed by the business elite through powerful lobby groups such as the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Council of the Americas.

Campbell was in Regina on Dec. 12, 2007, to give a presentation on the gateway dream that was hosted by the Winnipeg-based right-wing think tank Frontier Centre for Public Policy. The event was held in the Diefenbaker Room at the Regina Inn, which Dale Botting attended.]

Gerry Offet – InlandPort (Room 306) (4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

[Offet is the President of Initiatives Prince George. Initiatives Prince George is the economic development arm of the City of Prince George. Offet has served as senior vice-president of Saskatchewan Economic Development Corporation, he was CEO of Development Fund, a Manitoba Crown corporation; and was the assistant deputy minister in Manitoba’s department of intergovernmental affairs, where he was responsible for economic development in rural and northern Manitoba.]

[Listed in the Feb. 25, 2008 edition of The Hill Times, an independently-owned newsweekly based in Ottawa, as one of the Top 100 lobbyists the Canadian Fertilizer Institute represents fertilizer manufacturers and distributors. It is registered to lobby on the Canada Transportation Act; the Canada food safety inspection legislation; regulations on the transportation of dangerous goods; the Canadian Environmental Protection Act; climate change and agriculture policy; and labour codes, among other initiatives and policies.]

[Maithel is the president & CEO of CLEVOR Technologies Inc. a Saskatoon-based company that develops and markets Schedule Optimizers for construction companies, professional services companies and manufacturers. Maithel is a director of the Saskatchewan Advanced Technology Association (SATA) and also with the right-wing think tank Prairie Policy Centre.]

[Global Public Affairs is a public policy and government relations firm with offices in Ottawa and Toronto. It is also a contributor to the Saskatchewan Party. According to the firm’s website Christidis “provides Global clients with an exceptional understanding of government decision making having served the senior levels of government at both the political and departmental level.” He apparently has experience “leading successful government relations initiatives, providing strategic counsel to leading Canadian companies, key trade associations, industry coalitions as well as universities and economic development agencies.”]

Dec. 18, 2007

Ken Ziegler (My Office) (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)

[Ziegler is a lawyer with Robertson Stromberg Pederson in Saskatoon, one of the largest law firms in Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Party financial records filed with Elections Saskatchewan show that since 2002 Ziegler has contributed $1,841.42 to the party. Ziegler is a past president of the Saskatoon and District Chamber of Commerce and the right-wing think tank Prairie Policy Centre. Ziegler is also a member of the North Saskatoon Business Association, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority, a representative member of Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership, and a former Director of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.]

[Madder is executive vice president of the Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS®. The ASR is the primary lobby group for organized real estate in Saskatchewan. One of its objectives is to promote every citizen’s (individual and corporate) right to the ownership of private property.]

[On Jan. 25, 2008, the Saskatchewan Party government named Kook as the new chair of SaskTel. Kook is the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Westcap Mgt. Ltd. and is also Chairman and CEO of Golden Opportunities Fund, one of Saskatchewan’s leading labor-sponsored investment funds with more than 15,000 retail shareholders. He is also President of Cheung On Investments Group Ltd., an international investor syndicated fund.

In question period on May 13, 2008, NDP MLA Deb Higgins questioned whether the Sask. Party’s appointee as chair of SaskTel’s board, Grant Kook, had a conflict-of-interest in connection with jump.ca.

Kook is the founder and chair of the Golden Opportunities Investment Fund, a labour-sponsored investment fund that, according to Higgins, owns $2 million shares in jump.ca.

Higgins said if SaskTel increases its dealings with jump.ca, that could financially benefit the investment fund and create the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Higgins also indicated that according to the April 20, 2007 public disclosure statement, the minister responsible for the Crown [Ken Cheveldayoff] holds investments in the Golden Opportunities Fund. Cheveldayoff said “there is no conflict of interest, perceived or otherwise, in regards to those funds.”]

[Hutch is president of Hutchtech Inc., an engineering consulting firm. He is a director of Teras Resources Inc. Hutch served on the board of directors of Goldcorp Inc. from 1998 to 2004. He is a past President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Saskatchewan Research Council. Hutch appears to have contributed $1,100 to the Saskatchewan Party in the last two years.]

[Jenkins is project manager for TransCanada’s proposed $4.1 billion Belle Plaine polygeneration facility. TransCanada Energy, a subsidiary of TransCanada Corporation, specializes in the transport of natural gas and the production of energy. TransCanada PipeLines of Calgary is one of the Saskatchewan Party’s biggest contributors in the energy industry. Since 1999 it has donated $46,830.31 to the party.]

Garnet Garven (Greckos) (7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)

[Garven is the deputy minister to the premier and cabinet secretary. Prior to his appointment on Nov. 9, 2007 he was the dean of business at the University of Regina. Garven served on Premier Brad Wall’s transition team.]

Jan. 15, 2008

Global Public Affairs VP Lorraine Royer (Alliance pipeline is one of their customers) See email below (8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.)

[Mantey is Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Clerk of the Executive Council.]

Randy Thompson – Argon (Hotel Sask Lounge) (5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)

[Argon Venture Partners is a cross-border early-stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, California, and Alberta, Canada. Thompson is Argon’s General Partner in its Western Canada office, based in Calgary.]

[McLellan was named the chamber’s new CEO on July 19, 2007. Prior to that McLellan served as executive director of Tourism Regina since 1997. Before that, he was the executive director of the Tourism Industry Association of Saskatchewan (TISASK) in Saskatoon. He also served for six years on the ReginaAirport Authority board. McLellan succeeded Mary Ann McFadyen, who retired after a four-decade career with the chamber. Dave Dutchak is the chamber’s Immediate Past-President. He is the president and CEO of M.D. Ambulance Care Ltd. in Saskatoon. M.D. Ambulance donated $1,255.28 to the Saskatchewan Party in 2007 and Duthchak’s M.P.D. Holdings Ltd. contributed $12,600, with $3,500 going to Saskatoon Southeast candidate Don Morgan’s campaign.]

[TransCanada’s proposed $4.1 billion polygeneration facility would be located at Belle Plaine. Lyle Stewart is the MLA for the region. Swystun is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan.]

[Gorges is the CEO of SpringBoard West Innovations Inc., a Regina-based non-profit organization that helps researchers, industry and entrepreneurs take their ideas from the lab to the marketplace and increase technology commercialization in Saskatchewan.]

[Passmore is Iogen’s executive vice-president. He is responsible for new market and business development (Canada, the U.S. and Europe), public and media affairs, and government relations for Iogen’s cellulose ethanol technology.]

Lunch with Danny Fenell – (Skara) (11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

[Fennell is the post deputy principal officer with the United States consulate in Calgary.]

[Schwann is the executive director of the Saskatchewan Mining Association (SMA).]

Robert Zhao (Tim Horton’s – South Albert) (6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.)

[Zhao is a co-founder of International Science and Technology Development Centre (ISTDC). Based in Regina, ISTDC provides investment consulting, business valuation, and international trade services between Canada and China.]

[Scholz is president of Saskatoon-based A.N. Scholz & Associates Inc. He has been active in Canada’s agriculture and food industry for 25 years as a management consultant, business owner, author and a speaker at conferences, seminars and training sessions. He served three terms with the Saskatoon & District Chamber of Commerce and served two terms on the Senate of the University of Saskatchewan.]

[Ifor Ffowcs-Williams is the CEO of Cluster Navigators Ltd. in Nelson, New Zealand, a niche economic development consultancy, taking a cluster approach to the nurturing and upgrading of competitiveness agendas. The company services clients on five continents.]

Breakfast with John Jenkins, TransCanada (Derek and Rick to verify) (8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.)

[TransCanada PipeLines Limited has contributed approximately $46,830.31 to the Saskatchewan Party since 1999.]

Alliance Pipeline (10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)

Baytex (Lunch – tba) (11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

[Baytex Energy Ltd. is a subsidiary of Baytex Energy Trust, a Calgary based energy income trust engaged in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the WesternCanadianSedimentaryBasin. Baytex has contributed approximately $3,500 to the Saskatchewan Party.]

[Diamond is an investment attraction specialist in the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation. He was manager, Asia Pacific Region with Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership. Botting was president & CEO of STEP.]

[Genome Prairie is a not-for-profit organization supporting and managing large-scale genomics and proteomics research projects in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Focused applications include agriculture, animal health, and human health.]

[Bachiu is the Principal of Triall Consulting and general manager, MeadowLake Tribal Council (MLTC). He is president & CEO of the Saskatchewan Labour Market Commission. Hubich is president of the Saskatchewan Federal of Labour and co-chair of the SLMC.]

[Hindle appears to be with the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Regina. Western Nuclear Energy Research Group Inc. (WNERG) was incorporated on Mar. 14, 2007. According to a report by the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce Investment and Growth Committee, WNERG is “a non-profit corporation working in collaboration with the University of Regina, which aims to define and support relevant research projects mounted in universities and other research institutions throughout western Canada. This start-up research enterprise is now in the process of raising the required capital. The Saskatchewan, Regina and Saskatoon Chambers, as well as other publicly spirited organizations in the private sector, have already helped contribute seed money to help this group raise the required initial funding of $ 1.5 million.”]

[SNC-Lavalin is a Montreal-based world leader in a number of sectors such as agrifood, aluminum, biopharmaceuticals, chemicals and petroleum, the environment, facilities and operations management, infrastructure, mass transit, mining and metallurgy and power.]

[Eric Berntson was Deputy Premier in the Devine government. In 1999, Berntson was convicted of illegally diverting government allowances between 1987 and 1991 when he was Saskatchewan’s deputy premier. He was sentenced to one year in prison. Berntson resigned from the Senate on February 27, 2001 after the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed his attempt to overturn his fraud conviction.]